Image forming apparatus with standby and power saving modes

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, for which a heated roller fixing device is employed but for which a savings in power can still be obtained, is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a fixing device, which is a heated roller fixing device that requires pre-heating in a stand-by state; an operation panel, with which a power-saving mode transition time period can be changed; and a control part, which selects pre-heating or does not select pre-heating of the heated roller fixing device. The control part employs the power-saving mode transition time period, entered at the operation panel, to change the pre-heating or to not change the pre-heating of the heated roller fixing device.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image forming part adapted to form an image on a recording material; 
 a heat fixing part including a heat source, for fixing the image formed on the recording material; and 
 a controller configured to control an operation of the heat fixing part, 
 wherein, the image forming apparatus is operable to transfer from a stand-by mode to a power-saving mode in which an electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus is smaller than the electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus in the stand-by mode, if the image forming apparatus does not receive a print job in the stand-by mode, 
 a time period setting part configured to permit a user to set a time period for transferring to the power-saving mode, 
 wherein if the time period set by the user using the time period setting part is shorter than a reference period, the heat source is controlled to consume zero electric power in the stand-by mode, or the heat source is controlled to consume an average electric power in the stand-by mode which is smaller than an average electric power consumed in the stand-by mode in a case where the time period set by the user is longer than the reference period. 
 
     
     
       2. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image forming part adapted to form an image on a recording material; 
 a heat fixing part including a heat source, for fixing the image formed on the recording material; and 
 a controller configured to control an operation of the heat fixing part, 
 wherein, the image forming apparatus is operable to transfer from a stand-by mode to a power-saving mode in which an electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus is smaller than the electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus in the stand-by mode, if the image forming apparatus does not receive a print job in the stand-by mode, 
 a time period setting part configured to permit a user to set a time period for transferring to the power-saving mode, 
 wherein, if the time period set by the user using the time period setting part is shorter than a reference period, the controller sets an average electric power supplied to the heat source at zero in the stand-by mode, or sets an average electric power supplied to the heat source in the stand-by mode which is smaller than an average electric power supplied to the heat source in the stand-by mode in the case where the time period set by the user is longer than the reference period. 
 
     
     
       3. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image forming part adapted to form an image on a recording material; 
 a heat fixing part including a heat source, for fixing the image formed on the recording material; and 
 a controller configured to control an operation of the heat fixing part, 
 wherein, the image forming apparatus is operable to transfer from a stand-by mode to a power-saving mode in which an electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus is smaller than the electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus in the stand-by mode, if the image forming apparatus does not receive a print job in the stand-by mode, 
 wherein, if a time period for transferring to the power-saving mode is shorter than a reference period, the heat source is controlled to consume zero electric power in the stand-by mode, or the heat source is controlled to consume an average electric power in the stand-by mode which is smaller than an average electric power consumed in the stand-by mode in the case where the time period is longer than the reference period. 
 
     
     
       4. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image forming part adapted to form an image on a recording material; 
 a heat fixing part including a heat source, for fixing the image formed on the recording material; and 
 a controller configured to control an operation of the heat fixing part, 
 wherein, the image forming apparatus is operable to transfer from a stand-by mode to a power-saving mode in which an electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus is smaller than the electric power consumed by the image forming apparatus in the stand-by mode, if the image forming apparatus does not receive a print job in the stand-by mode, 
 wherein, if the time period for transferring to the power-saving mode is shorter than a reference period, the controller sets an electric power supplied to the heat source at zero in the stand-by mode, or sets an average electric power supplied to the heat source in the stand-by mode which is smaller than an average electric power supplied to the heat source in the stand-by mode in the case where the time period is longer than the reference period.